


Changing Tides

by bleuspirit



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Post-Episode: s03e16 The Southern Raiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2020-12-24 06:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21094739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleuspirit/pseuds/bleuspirit
Summary: Katara struggles to determine what is right and wrong, and Zuko offers her words of wisdom and comfort.A two-shot take on what happened post-Southern Raiders and pre-Ember Island Players.





	1. push and pull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Katara realizes that Zuko is a friend.

**1 — _push and pull_**

It was freezing.

Iroh has taught Zuko again and again that the breath of fire is the most important technique there is to firebending. It gives one perfect control over their element - including keeping oneself warm in freezing temperatures like today's storm. After the confrontation with Yon Rha, Katara climbed quietly on the saddle and lay down without saying a word. Zuko immediately took control of Appa's reins to navigate the storm.  
  
The silence that enveloped them was the silence that Zuko knew all too well and he best knew that Katara would talk to him if she needed to, and he'd be there to listen. As the storm continued its heavy downpour, Zuko let go of Appa's reins and patted his head. "You can slow down for a while, buddy. Just keep heading north."  
  
At the bison's affirmative groan, Zuko climbed up the saddle.  
  
She was lying on her side, legs pressed to her chest. She wasn't asleep as Zuko had initially thought. Katara's eyes were blank and unshifting even as Zuko made his way inside. He knew that people from poles are used to the extreme cold being surrounded by blocks of ice and endless snow, but now Katara was trembling. Words were caught inside his throat. He still wasn't sure if Katara would let him offer her warmth much less break her much needed silence. Zuko instead opted to sit beside her back, concentrating on radiating a comfortable warmth for the both of them.  
  
Katara's trembling subsided and she finally relaxed. She slightly leaned backwards and allowed her back to touch Zuko's squatted leg. He looked down at her and saw how her gaze was still unshifting, and silence stretched on for a while.  
  
  
"Did I do the right thing?" Her voice finally cracked the silence. Zuko has been honestly expecting that this question would eventually surface. It was a question that he was also too familiar with. And unfortunately, he was afraid that he might not have the right answers as well. "You think I should've killed him, right?" Katara pressed.  
  
Spite was definitely evident in her voice; only that Zuko wasn't exactly sure to whom it was directed - _to him_? Likely. _To herself_? Perhaps.  
  
"That was the whole point of this mission, right? Revenge?" Her voice was escalating, trembling. Rage always came after the silent storm.  
  
Katara finally jerked to sit up and looked at Zuko directly in the eyes. He was prepared to take in all her anger and frustrations. He was ready to be shouted at, be told that this was a stupid mission to begin with, that he was a horrible person for putting her through this, but instead he was met with pleading watery eyes. They were silently screaming at him, begging him to tell her that what she did was the right thing.  
  
He was hesitant and all kinds of nervous, but he reached out to put his palm on top of her cold hands. Zuko radiated enough warmth on hers hoping that she would take this gesture as comfort, as understanding her pain and anger.  
  
"All my life I've been asking the same question," he finally spoke, looking at their hands. "And you know I've made wrong, horrible choices along the way. Those were the times when my moral compass was clouded by a false sense of righteousness." He looked up to meet her eyes; it was calmer now. "The turmoil I felt after having my father's acceptance back already told me that I made the wrong choice when I thought it was the right one. But when your group had finally accepted me, I've been at my most peaceful state since."  
  
Katara tried to hide her surprise at his confession but to no avail. Her eyes slightly twitched and was visibly taken aback. Zuko noticed this and caught on that there was still mistrust on her part. He only offered her a small smile and continued. "Uncle once told me that he knew I would always find a way to choose good. Perhaps trying to understand my turmoils helped me in determining whether what I'm doing is right or wrong. Maybe it would be the same for you," he paused. "How do you feel now after what happened?"  
  
It was now Katara's turn to look at their hands. Long ago, she would have laughed terribly if someone had told her that the Fire Prince who once grabbed her grandmother would one day hold her hands comfortingly, helping her sort out her issues on morals. Destiny, she noted, was indeed a funny thing.  
  
"I...I feel relieved that I didn't kill him." The sobs that followed soon became an outburst. Even though the rain was still pouring, Zuko could still make out what were her tears and what weren't. He wanted to bring her in to lean onto him if she needed to, but she definitely didn't trust him completely yet and he knew better than to cross such boundaries. Katara cried in her place, but still held on to Zuko's hands as she let her emotions out.  
  
  
As the storm calmed down, so did she.  
  
"If it helps, I know you're also the kind of person who chooses good even if causes you hurt," Zuko's words had never sounded so genuine even compared to what had happened in Ba Sing Se. Katara knew that his praise of her weren't empty words of comfort, but were ultimately from a place of experience.  
  
Zuko brought his hands back to himself and Katara immediately realized how much of the warmth he offered her was the source of her calm. He steadied himself as he began to steam the water off his body and his clothes before heading towards Appa's head.  
  
"Could you bend some clouds around Appa so we could land?" He raised his voice a bit as he took over Appa's reins.  
  
Katara was sure that there was still a few hours left before they reached the campsite. Even the kinds of trees below them told her that they were still in the Fire Nation. "Where are we heading?"  
  
"I know a place where we could hide in plain sight," he looked back at her and offered her a reassuring smile.  
  
Katara took her stance to bend the clouds. It was at that moment when she realized that she began to trust Zuko with no reservations.  
  
Barely a year ago, Katara had already resigned at the thought that she would be stuck in the South Pole waiting endless days for her father's return and for the war to end. And now, she was a fully realized waterbender actively taking part in ending this war. Change is the only constant thing in this world, she noted, and if she has changed then surely he has as well.


	2. waves washing the footprints on the sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara continues to seek Zuko for advice.

_ **2 — waves washing the footprints on the sand** _

If Aunt Wu had told her that one day she would bathe in the sunset at the Fire Lord's summer home, she would have definitely agreed she was a scam. But today, Katara found herself slumped at the dock just below that house, tipping her feet in the vast cold sea. Zuko had gone to fetch the rest of the team, and it had already been an hour since then. The sun had begun its descent and Katara continued to ponder upon what had transpired earlier that day — Yon Rha, blood bending, and Zuko.

Zuko admitted earlier that he and his sister had been here not long ago, but reassured her that Ozai himself hasn’t been in the island ever since becoming Fire Lord. 

_I thought you might need some time and space alone_, Zuko said softly. Katara knew that Zuko had been trying his best around the team, pleasing everyone in any way that he can. He likes to throw in a few jokes and helps with the chores, but she also knew that Zuko’s hotheaded and brooding nature could not be easily erased just because he decided to change sides. So to see him, _hear_ him, comfort her as gentle as possible still came as a surprise to her. She thanked him over her shoulders.

Katara watched how the colors of the sky danced from yellow to orange and how the light glittered on the water’s surface. Only the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls were heard from the distance. As she looked at the tides pushing and pulling, Katara’s emotions pushed and pulled as well, eventually bursting into a loud sob once again. She was tired and sad and angry but all at the same time relieved — relieved that she hadn’t become like her mother’s murderer, relieved that she finally let out all of her anger towards the world, towards this war, relieved that Zuko was finally on their side.

—

An hour had passed and her tears had gone dry. What was only left was a hollow feeling in her pit as she tried to sort herself out, staring into the distant horizon. Katara then spotted Appa getting closer and closer. Zuko was still on the reins and now with Aang, while Suki, Toph, and Sokka were holding on tight on the saddle. Her stomach began to feel like they were on knots. Zuko would have told Aang what had happened and she wasn't exactly sure if she needed to hear what he has to say. She was just too tired physically, emotionally, and mentally. Of course, she knew Aang meant well, but she didn't really want this conversation. She wasn't ready to be "praised" for being the "good" person because she wasn't even sure if she really was. She wanted to be angry, to be allowed to feel hatred.

"Forgiveness is the first step to begin healing," Aang reached out to her. He definitely had a point, but Yon Rha was not a man worthy of her forgiveness; not once did he even aplogize over her mother's death. The man was pathetic and she felt that he deserved to live a miserable life.

"But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him," said Katara coldly. As she stood up and finally faced them, the knots in her stomach slowly untied. Her cold stance became relaxed and was replaced with a grateful smile when she saw him standing behind Aang — a hesitant expression was on his face.

Aang did have a point — forgiveness is the first step to begin healing. And the boy before her, who was constantly trying to make amends over his past mistakes; whom the world was unkind to but still promised to restore its balance, certainly deserved to be forgiven.

"But I am ready to forgive you."

Zuko didn't expect it, really. He was prepared for a smile or for a pat on the shoulder. Even a bow would do. But things happened too quickly and he found himself catching Katara's warm embrace before he could think. There was an initial shock, but his arms instinctively found their way to return the hug.

Katara tightened the embrace from all the relief and empathy she felt. She was hurt; he was hurt. There was just too much hurt on both sides and she could no longer contain the relief she felt to have him fighting along them. She figured, that even since Ba Sing Se, this was what they needed.

Zuko himself wanted to relish this moment. Katara was indeed the first person from the other side of the war to trust him despite his past, and he was more than thankful in every way that she was finally a friend. And he swore to honor her and cherish this moment for the rest of his life.

—

Katara chose an old guest room. After dinner, she immediately excused herself to retire for the night. She was thankful that Suki offered to make dinner and to Sokka for doing the dishes. Zuko initially initiated to do the same but Katara was quick to swat him away telling him he needs to rest. Steering Appa for hours and in the middle of the storm no less surely drained out his energy.

Fearing a fever may come up, Katara decided to check up on him.

She made her way through the dark and dusty hallway trying to remember which room Zuko was in. The only thing she was praying for was that she doesn’t mistake his room for Suki and Sokka’s room for reasons she doesn’t want to entertain. Katara remembered that Toph chose the one closest to the stairs and Aang chose the one at the end of the hallway because it had a balcony. That leaves her with the four more rooms to explore. Deciding that Suki and Sokka would not want to disturb Toph’s extra-sensitive seizmic senses, Katara chose to knock first on the room beside Toph’s. “Zuko?” She whispered.

She heard some shuffling inside and a few seconds later, Zuko appeared before her eyes.

“Hey,” she greeted him. The prince was momentarily surprised at her presence, but invited her in nonetheless.

“What’s up?”

Katara noticed that the room smelled of incense and indeed saw two inceses sitting by the window. “Oh, you were meditating? I’m so sorry if I disturbed you—“

Zuko gave her a soft smile as he sat on the bed. “Don’t worry about it. I just finished. So, what’s on your mind?”

“Well, I just wanted to check up on you if you are alright. You’ve been soaked in the storm earlier and you must be tired,” Katara initiated.

It had been a good few weeks with the gang, but Zuko had to admit that he still wasn’t so used to being cared for other than by his uncle. The only people that were easy to adjust being around with were Aang because, well, he’s Aang and is a peaceloving monk, and Toph. Although rough around the edges, she has surprisingly shown her caring side especially when it was still difficult around the water tribe siblings. It took a while for Sokka to fully come around, but Zuko realized his kind-hearted nature when Sokka shoved him away from an incoming boarcupine during one hunt. Katara, on the other hand and prior to their trip, only tried to be civil. Zuko knew that she was the “mom-friend”, but Katara never really showed him (and wasn’t expecting to) her motherly side — until today.

“I feel fine. You don’t have to worry about me,” he reassured her. But due to his perceptiveness, Zuko sensed that Katara wasn’t only there to check up on him. She began to mumble to some “oh’s” and “uhm’s” so he scooted a little bit and patted the seat beside him. “Something’s bothering you, isn’t it?”

Katara’s wandering eyes were quick to land on his. She was silent for a moment before confessing. “I blood bended. I promised never to do it again, but I did.”

Zuko saw the same panicked eyes earlier on her so he was quick to let her sit beside him. Katara fiddled with her hands as she continued, voice laced with horror. “I bended a man’s blood out of anger. I controlled him against his will, Zuko. I…I feel so disgusted with myself.” She breathed heavily.

“I admit I was terrified back then,” he started, but immediately regretted his choice of words when he saw Katara’s eyes become equally terrified. “B-but! It’s good that you immediately acknowledge your mistakes, you know. You just need to keep making the right choices when the opportunity comes. That’s growth,” Zuko sheepishly tried to be comforting.

Katara gaze shifted to the floor. “I just feel so horrible for doing that. It’s so invasive and terrifying. I wish I could take back what I did,” she said lowly. 

“Hey, it’s okay to feel bad about our mistakes. You’re allowed to feel that way,” he reassured her. “In fact, you can still feel bad about them in the next couple of years or so. But don’t forget to forgive yourself, as well. Use these feelings to be better, I guess; at least, that’s what I tell to myself.”

Katara looked at Zuko once again, but this time, the anxiety in her eyes dissipated. She gave him a genuine smile, and the Fire Prince returned the same. “Thank you, Zuko, for everything. For today. I’m sorry if I’m a mess right now,” Katara chuckled in pity at herself.

“Hey, it’s alright. I think we all have our troubles, anyway. We just have to keep looking at the brighter side of things.”

“Brighter side of things…wow, I didn’t think I’d hear that from you,” Katara teased as she stood up, astonished by his advise. Zuko rolled his eyes in return, but a smile was clearly playing on his lips. He stood up as well as Katara started heading towards the door. “But I’ll keep what you said in mind. Those were really sound advice.”

As they reached his door, Katara stopped for moment and faced Zuko again.

“I guess I better get going. Get some rest as well.”

Zuko, surprisingly aware of how close they were standing together, stepped back an inch and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He has to admit that he still wasn’t used to Katara showing him her caring side, moreso when she was standing so closely in front of him.

“Yeah, good night, Katara,” he said.

When she gave him a quick good night hug, it didn’t register to him immediately. He was sure that it was only for a second, and he was sure that she almost instantly opened the door afterwards.

_Good night, Zuko. Thanks for being a good listener_, he was sure she said this before she hurriedly closed the door, running across the hallway back to her room. He was sure she did all of those things, but it didn’t register until after a few good minutes.

Zuko stood there dumbfoundedly, processing what had just happened, and maybe, just _maybe_, wished that the hug lasted a few seconds longer.

_ **— end —** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So so sorry for the super late update! As I’ve stated in my tumblr blog, I’ve been so caught up with my studies 😭 But, finally, it’s here! Thanks for reading, and stay safe everyone!


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